EAST Awards Nearly $100,000 in Upgrade Grants

The EAST Initiative, in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Education, has awarded a combined $97,175 in Upgrade Grants to 20 different schools.

The grant program is intended to allow schools to upgrade their technology in the EAST classroom.

“With the pace of technology moving as fast as it does, there’s always a need to upgrade. While we expect schools to invest in their programs and keep their classroom as up-to-date as possible, we are pleased to offer these grants when funding is available to help them catch up or move ahead with the most cutting edge, sophisticated tools available,” said Matt Dozier, president and CEO of the EAST Initiative.

Each Upgrade Grant is a matching grant of up to $10,000, including matching funds. Schools must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible, primarily focused on the EAST Statement of Assurances which outlines best practices and expectations for both the school and the EAST Initiative. Additionally, each school must have EAST for at least four years and not have been the recipient of an Upgrade Grant for at least four years in order to be eligible.

Grant recipients this year are:

Ashdown High School

Brookland High School

Cross County High School

Crossett High School

Crossett Middle School

Dardanelle High School

Fayetteville High School

Greenbrier High School

Harrison High School

Helen Tyson Middle School

Joe T. Robinson High School

Mansfield High School

Northside High School

Paragould high School

Pinkston Middle School

Pulaski Heights Middle School

Star City High School

Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary School

Wonderview High School

Wynne High School

About the EAST Initiative

The EAST Initiative is an educational nonprofit organization that provides all learners the opportunity to have relevant, individualized, life-changing educational experiences. EAST supplies students with the latest in sophisticated hardware and software tools and challenges them to apply this cutting-edge technology in identifying and solving problems and improving the communities in which they live. Students engage with community partners and master the tools of tomorrow’s tech-driven workforce, all while pursuing their own interests as they develop and complete service projects. Meanwhile, they also develop collaborative, team-oriented skills of project management and delivery. In addition to establishing these unique classrooms and offering technical support, the EAST Initiative also offers powerful technology training both to students and educators, including providing professional development focusing on integrating technology into any classroom, regardless of subject. For more information, visit www.eastinitiative.org.